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despair

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?'” Matthew 14:31

Oh, how I can relate with Peter in this story. It’s the story of when Jesus walked on water. When the disciples saw someone coming to them at night…walking on top of water, they were afraid. They thought He was a ghost and they cried out in fear.

And here was Jesus. Once again, doing the impossible.

Isn’t that just like Him?

Just when we think something could never be accomplished, Jesus does it.

Like when the scans come back and the cancer is gone…yet no doctor can explain it.

Or when we don’t know where the money will come from for groceries this week…and somehow a check arrives in the mail.

Or when we don’t think a pregnancy is ever going to happen…and it does when we least expect it.

I can see Jesus all over my impossible situations.

However, like Peter, I still doubt.

I think I can control my life, my situations, my dreams. There a ton of books out there, as well as speakers, who will tell you that all of your dreams will come true. Your life will be full of happiness, if you just believe. Or maybe you’ve heard that this will be your best year yet!

And then the unexpected arrives. The floor falls out from beneath you when the diagnosis comes. You get the phone call in the middle of the night. Your family is falling apart. You sink deeper into depression, or anxiety, or worse yet…both.

But…there’s a secret I want to share with you, just in case you don’t know it already.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. Don’t lose sight of Him. Don’t take your eyes off of Him, because He is the way.

Not because then all of your dreams will come true, or only good will come your way, but because He is Jesus. He’s the One Who can do the impossible. However, when we doubt…when we take our eyes off of Him…it’s so much easier to fall, or to fear, or to panic.

Jesus asks Peter to step out of the boat and come to Him on the water. So, Peter does. But the second Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus, he begins to sink.

Like us sinking to the pit of despair or discouragement when our eyes aren’t on Jesus, but are on our situations, our problems, our fears.

Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!”

If that would only be our daily cry to Him. “Jesus, save me!”

We don’t see His work behind the scenes. We don’t always see how He will work things out for good to bring Him glory. Sometimes…all we see are the pain and trials. For me, in this season of life, it’s hard not to constantly stare in wonder at the pain and hurt. I don’t understand how God could possibly be using all of these things in my life right now…for His glory.

But if I claim to believe the Word, then I have to believe He will work it out.

I need to stop doubting and resume trusting.

I do want people to one day look at the rollercoaster of my life and see Jesus’ hands all over it. Just as the disciples watched what unfolded and worshiped Him saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God”, I want others to see the Son of God in my life.

I want everyone to see how He has held me up, even when I doubt, even when I falter, even when I fail.

In this hard season of life, I am a faltering sinner saved by grace.

Where are you in all of this? Just hearing the story for the first time? Just learning to look to and trust Jesus? Maybe you’ve been a believer all of your life, but at this moment you’re doubting God can bring good to your situation.

Whatever the case may be, He is with you. He is with me. Our Savior can help us stay above our circumstances and not fall into despair.

But we need to keep our eyes fixed on Him. I’m trying…I hope you are, too.